Playful learning (japanese!)

Dave Harrelson and Alexa Andrzejewski are working on an iPhone application for the website Smart.Fm, a Japanese language learning website.
In a few posts, they are telling how they’re working on the project; last one is really interesting.

First of all they started with the right approach: thinking about the iPhone as a platform and working with in mind its strengths and limitations. Alexa says:

The smart.fm iPhone app should not be a pared down version of the smart.fm website — a path that thinking of it as a “mobile version” might lead us down. Instead, we want the iPhone app to complement the website — not replicate or miniaturize it — and to support the larger experience of learning anytime and anywhere.

Now, what I find fascinating is how they build up a visual language that in a simple yet effective way shows the user achievements. The visualization of achievements and progress, in itself, is an important part of playful design. The use of leaves that become flowers adds up exquisite color and a good sense of wonder in the mastering of learning.

Here are some images of the good work:

Tagged as: achievements, learning, progress, visual language